All men in the Rezvoi family follow this principle
The name of Odesa-based Teodor Rezvoi became widely known in Ukraine and the world about a year ago when this courageous young man took a risk of crossing the ocean alone in a rowboat. Thousands of people followed the small Odesa boat’s voyage the Canaries to Barbados. Only two men in the whole post-Soviet space were brave enough to challenge the elements: oceanic oarsmen, Russian Koniukhov and Ukrainian Rezvoi. Today Teodor Rezvoi is preparing himself for a new cruise. Soon he will leave for London and then New York where his new adventure across the Atlantic will start. On the eve of his departure, Mr. Rezvoi agreed to answer The Day’s questions.
“First of all, let me express my sincere admiration of your courage and wish you success with your new march. Since your first trip, the world has changed significantly. What is your attitude toward the Middle East issue?”
“It’s difficult for me to be impartial on this. My boat is to sail from New York in May or June. In general, I’m against any war. But one should consider the various aspects. On the one hand, there is the threat of terrorism from Iraq. America simply took upon itself dirty work other countries turned down. On the other hand, the war began for no visible reason; no proofs of the threat were produced, and the UN position was ignored. But the main thing is that peaceful people will inevitably die in course of the war. I am not a politician or political scientist, but I think this war could lead to the whole Arab world uniting against the US, including even those countries that previously were on friendly terms with it. All this could trigger World War III. I started my previous trip from London on September 12, the very next day after the New York terrorist acts. It seemed to me at that time that the world was ready to collapse. Nobody knew then how America would react, and, more importantly, there was no concrete enemy. Today there is such an enemy. It is planned that in a couple of months I will start from New York to Brest. I think nobody knows what will happen to these cities and the world by then and how the events will develop and where they’ll lead.”
“What if somebody offered to pay you for posting up a slogan on your boat, I’m for the Iraq War or I’m against the Iraq War? Which one would you choose?”
“None. Any slogan automatically divides society into two parts, for and against something. This is why I once refused to advertise any political parties. Not that I didn’t need money. The ocean oarsmen from the US, Great Britain, and other countries act the same way. Our trips are meant not for some part of the human race but for humanity as a whole.”
“What about commercial advertising?”
“Unlike the political, the commercial advertising doesn’t divide society. For them we are all consumers of goods and services.”
“Tell us about your new project and its route.”
“It is planned to go from New York to Brest, France, across the Atlantic from west to east along the northern route. The route is more complicated than the previous one and a little longer. Navigation is very tense in this region. Besides, I have to manage to do it after the icebergs are gone and before hurricane season starts. If everything goes well, this will be a jubilee cruise: the hundredth successful one completed by an oceanic oarsman. In general, there have been six boats to attempt this West-East route: three French and three British. Many oarsmen died on this route.”
“Teodor, may I ask you a question you obviously have heard all too often: Why do you do this?”
“It is difficult to give a one-word answer to this question. For me patriotism is not an empty word. My first boat’s name was Odesa, the second will be named Ukraine. I would like people in the world to know more about my native city and country. I was first in the former Soviet Union to risk crossing the ocean in a rowboat. The fact that this was done by somebody from Odesa is important for the image of both the city and the country. Besides, such trips give one a chance to test himself and his abilities in deeds. And what’s most important, I want my son to be proud of me. All the men of the Rezvoi family have always followed this principle. Most eminent of them was my ancestor, an artillery major general at Borodino. His portrait is in the Hermitage. My grandfather was a university professor who taught philosophy. I’m following this principle in my own way.”
“What is most difficult about your trips?”
“Looking for sponsors. It takes a lot of time and effort.”
“Who is financing your new project?”
“There is a wonderful man in our city, the director of a rehabilitation center for handicapped children, Borys Lytvak. He helped me in organizing the first cruise and after that put me in contact with the Cabinet of Ministers, introducing me to Volodymyr Yatsuba. He was very interested in the project, taking upon himself the search for sponsors, organizational issues, and press campaign, for which I want to thank him.”
“Your first trip was, so to speak, dedicated to Odesa and the second to Ukraine. In your opinion, what is the attitude toward our country in the world today and what can your trip change in this sense?”
“Being abroad, I became convinced that ordinary people know literally nothing about Ukraine. In the Canaries where I started off from last time there are many athletes from various countries. The name, Ukraine, began to mean something for them only when they learned that it was the fifth country in the world whose citizen crossed the Atlantic alone on an oared boat. A country becomes known only if it has something to be proud of.”
